Braking Basics

The first thing we need to know is that brakes don’t stop cars. Brakes stop wheels from rolling. The friction of the tires against the road surface stops of the car.

Most drivers realize that the higher the car’s speed, the more distance required to stop. What is surprising to many drivers is how much additional distance it takes to stop a vehicle with just a small increase in speed.

The fact is that if you double your speed you increase your stopping distance by a factor of four.

If you increase your speed from 40 to 44 mph, speed has increased by 10 % but stopping distance has increased by 20 %.

If you increase your speed from 40 to 50 mph, speed has increased by 25 % but stopping distance has increased by 50 %.

In an emergency situation with ABS brakes, apply your brakes hard and stay on them. You should not pump the brake pedal at any time on an ABS system

Hard application of ABS brakes will cause the brake pedal to vibrate or pulsate. Don’t let the vibration bother you. The pedal is supposed to vibrate

Along with the vibration, you will hear a strange groaning noise it’s supposed to make that noise, and a periodic decrease in brake pedal pressure may occur

Many times the driver’s eyes fixate on the object they are trying to avoid, and the result is they drive into it.

In an emergency it’s all about where you look while the emergency is unfolding. Simply stated – your hands go where your eyes look. As soon as the emergency presents itself look for a place to put the vehicle.

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